Rockville Centre elder scam leads to arrest

Posted

Nassau County Police Detectives reported that a 69-year-old female in Rockville Centre received a phone call on May 3 from an unknown male claiming to be her grandson.

According to authorities, another male acting as an attorney named Michael Waller claimed that he needed $17,000 to bail out her grandson. The victim was instructed to retrieve the money and a courier would be sent to her residence to pick it up.

Suspicious about the request, the victim immediately contacted the police. Detectives coordinated the delivery of the package to its intended destination at 1610 Old Country Rd. in Westbury, where a subsequent investigation led to the arrest of Pedro Ramon Martinez Martinez, 28, of 19301 NW 47 Ave. in Miami Gardens, Florida, and Wayne Ibarra-Hernandez, 31, of 17640 NW 37 Ave. in Miami Gardens, Florida. Investigators also recovered approximately $50,000.

Martinez Martinez and Ibarra-Hernandez have both been charged with attempted Grand Larceny. They were arraigned on May 4 at First District Court in Hempstead.

NCPD urges the community to be on alert and to remind vulnerable family members, friends, and neighbors about potential scams or frauds. Detectives request that anyone with information regarding the incident contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-8477 or call 911. All callers will remain anonymous.